Swale Borough Councillors’ Report May 2023

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It was good to see that the turnout in Boughton & Courtenay was one of the highest locally (40%), so thank you to everyone who took part in the democratic process by voting, whether for us or the other candidates. We are here to represent all of you at Swale council, so if you have views or questions on local issues, please get in touch. The best way is by email: alastairgould@swale.gov.uk or rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk . We cannot always promise to get the answer you would like, but will do our best.

There are some potentially challenging times ahead: The finances at Swale are very tight, and there will be some difficult choices to come. We will need to pick up on the Local Plan, which will be used to allocate sites for housing and employment land, and will include the policies that govern development, although we are still waiting to hear from central government about changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. We have to follow this framework in putting together a plan, and it is a limit to the freedom we have to decide things locally.

Above all though, there is the task of moving the way things are done towards a greener, sustainable path. This is the reason we both became involved in politics; it has become so clear that “business as usual” and a relentless drive for growth at any environmental cost is a path that has to be left behind urgently; Swale’s budget may be tight , but our “Carbon Budget”, (how much more carbon dioxide we can emit from fossil fuels before we tip this world into catastrophe), is even tighter, and every decision we make has to take this into account. We are also convinced that these choices have all sorts of added benefits in other areas such as health, air quality and generally making the world a more pleasant place to live in.

Alastair Gould: alastairgould@swale.gov.uk

Rich Lehmann: rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk

Swale Borough Councillors for Boughton & Courtenay.

Swale Borough Councillors’ Report March 2023

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Travel & Sustainable Development

A better way of getting about is possible! The problems with Dunkirk Hill being closed has again highlighted the problems of getting an adequate bus service and will have pushed some people to travel by car instead. However, when it comes to planning for new homes, we are often told that developments need to be “sustainable”, which is the idea that one’s daily needs could be met without the use of a car. This raises the question, what does a realistic alternative to using the car mean?

We feel it ought to be that public transport, and the cycling and walking network, are so good that using them would be the obvious thing to do. This might mean that buses came every 15min or less, and cost less than it would to use the car. They would run from early morning to late evening so shift workers could use them, they would be clean and comfortable. Cycling routes would be safe from traffic so all ages could use them with confidence and not be intimidated by fast and close-passing traffic.

Very often we are told that restrictions on development on highways grounds can only come if safety is involved, but this always seems to mean that there has to have been some injury or fatality before action can be taken. Apart from the fact that this is an approach to safety that would be unacceptable in any other sphere, it also is a very narrow definition of safety , and does not take into account the damage done by increased emissions, both of CO2 and other pollutants, and the damage to health done by time sat in cars rather than being active: even if it just walking to the bus stop. A recent study showed that just 11 minutes walking a day could cut the risk of early death by 10%.

It is a huge challenge to provide high quality public transport and walking & cycling routes in our rural ward. Swale Borough Council has been working on plans to improve walking and cycling routes in the ‘Parishes to Town’ project started through the Eastern Area Committee. It is critical that a better model to fund rural public transport must be found. This is a challenge for all levels of government, but it must be met if local plan policies for sustainable development and a transition away from the car for local journeys are to be anything other than empty promises.

Alastair Gould (AlastairGould@swale.gov.uk)

Tim Valentine (TimValentine@swale.gov.uk) 07752 191807

Swale Borough Councillors for Boughton & Courtenay.

KCC Councillor’s Report March 2023

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I’ve decided to write something a little more philosophical this month as I’ve been reflecting recently on the role of councillors in local government with regard to what they should do when their personal or political opinions differ from those of the residents they represent.

At council level there is rarely an issue. If a resident reports a pothole or needs help with an issue relating to schools, highways or any of the other things KCC is responsible for, I will do my best to get that issue resolved as quickly as possible. Similarly, with the seemingly never ending line of planning applications that come through for massive housing estates and ‘garden villages’, my views align with residents.

There is little conflict for me in most cases relating to housing. The Greens are the only major party to have avoided setting nationwide annual building targets, instead stating that “Housing provision targets should be based upon housing needs surveys produced or commissioned by local authorities”.  In 2020 a housing needs survey in Faversham concluded that the town almost exclusively needed one and two bedroomed houses, but more than half of the houses included in the latest version of the Duchy Estate proposals would have three, four and five bedrooms.

One slightly more ‘grey’ issue that has come up for me recently is something that I was initially firmly on one side of. In Teynham, a popular foot crossing over the railway is currently subject to an emergency closure, with Network Rail hoping to close the crossing permanently and divert the public right of way. To me, this seemed like an unecessary move as the number of recorded ‘near misses’ over the past few years was shown to be relatively few for such a well used crossing. I have now been shown some images which show that some local youths have been behaving very carelessly around the crossing, which has drawn me more to the middle of the debate.

My personal belief is that the enjoyment and convenience of the majority should not be spoiled by a tiny minority; and I still believe that Network Rail could, and should, do more to improve the safety of the crossing rather than simply close it. However I can also see that their desire to close it is not simply a box ticking exercise and that there is a genuine risk to safety if it remains open without any new safety precautions. In this case I will be encouraging local residents to respond to the public consultation, which will be opening soon, and will support the majority view.

Rich Lehmann
rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk
https://kentgreencouncillors.news/

KCC Councillor’s Report February 2023

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KCC’s annual budget meeting took place last Thursday in Maidstone. There were no cuts to bus subsidies this year, but a combination of rising demand and rising costs meant that there were a number of cuts in other vital areas including adult social care and care for disabled children.

Councillors from all parties expressed concern at the poor financial situation the council is in, and all made it clear that without a significant increase in funding from central government, the council will find it very difficult to make it to the end of this decade. Former KCC leader Sir Paul Carter declared his backing for Kent to be broken up into unitary authorities, arguing that the efficiencies that can be achieved by combining the county council with borough and district level councils would make local authorities far more financially viable.

There are definitely advantages to this approach, but there are also disadvantages too. If Swale were to be absorbed into a unitary authority with some of the surrounding districts, we could see important planning decisions affecting our area made in Ashford, Maidstone or Canterbury (depending on how the boundaries for the new authorities were drawn up).

Without a county level authority we may also have less say on highways issues which would have a knock on effect on our area. At the moment it seems increasingly likely that National Highways will push forward with plans for a Lower Thames Crossing near Gravesend. This will be beneficial for Dartford as it will reduce traffic using the Dartford Crossing, but it has the potential to be hugely negative here in Swale as traffic that would normally reach the coast via the M20 would be far more likely to travel along the M2 and head down via the already overburdened Brenley Corner.

Having said this, perhaps the additional budget that might be freed up by combining authorities –  along with the reduction in confusion caused by having two different councils looking after things like waste collection and disposal – would be enough to offset the disadvantages. One thing I think is certain is that we will be seeing a lot more discussion on this topic in the months and years to come.

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FINAL BUS UPDATE

The bus services affected by KCC’s subsidy bus cuts finally came into effect this month, with services across the area stopping with effect from 12th February. Users in affected villages will have to rely on the Kent Karrier service which costs £3.50 to use even if you have a bus pass and only serves villages on certain days. For Conyer, Lynsted, Rodmersham, Bredgar, Tunstall and Milstead, the bus is available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and goes into Sittingbourne. For Doddington, Newnham and Oare, the bus is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can take you to either Faversham or Sittingbourne. For more details, please Google ‘Swale Kent Karrier’ or call 01892 832447.

Any parents unable to get their children to school may be able to appeal for assistance through the Home to School Transport Appeals process. Please contact me at the email address below if you would like further information on this.

Rich Lehmann
rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk
https://kentgreencouncillors.news/

Swale Borough Councillors’ Report February 2023

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Local elections and voter identification

All seats on Swale Borough Council will be up for election on May 4th. This will be the first election to be run under the new law which requires you to produce an approved form of photographic identification to vote. Now is a good time to check the requirements to make sure you won’t be caught out.

You may already have an acceptable form of identification. You can use any of the following:

  • Passport
  • Driving licence (including a provisional licence)
  • Blue Badge
  • Certain concessionary travel cards
  • Identity card with PASS mask (Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
  • Biometric Immigration Card
  • Defence identity card
  • Certain national identity cards
  • Kent County Council ENCTS bus passes (for older and disabled people)

To check exactly which forms of identification are acceptable visit: electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID  If you already have an accepted form of photo ID all you need to do is to take it with you when you go to vote. If you don’t have one, or you’re not sure whether your photo ID still looks like you, you can apply for a free voter ID document, known as a Voter Authority Certificate here: http://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

You can avoid having to get a photo ID by registering for a postal vote instead of voting in person. Now is also a good time to make sure you are registered to vote. If you have moved recently or just become 18 you may not be registered. You will find a link to register to vote or apply for a postal vote here: electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID 

You have until April 17 to register to vote and until April 18th to register for a postal vote.

Tim Valentine (TimValentine@swale.gov.uk)

Alastair Gould (AlastairGould@swale.gov.uk)

Swale Borough Councillors for Boughton & Courtenay.

KCC Councillor’s Report January 2023

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The couple of months since I last wrote one of these columns have been a real rollercoaster for me. I’m grateful there have been a number of wins to offset some the losses across our area, although sadly none of the wins are on the scale of the loss of a regular bus service to so many local villages.

In keeping with the long held tradition, I’ll start with the bad news.

Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to make headway with the public transport officers at KCC and local bus operators, so the services earmarked for cuts in KCC’s budget last year will stop running on 11th February. Bus users in affected villages will have to rely on the Kent Karrier service which costs £3.50 to use even if you have a bus pass and only serves villages on certain days. For Conyer, Lynsted, Rodmersham, Bredgar, Tunstall and Milstead, the bus is available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and goes into Sittingbourne. For Doddington, Newnham and Oare, the bus is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can take you to either Faversham or Sittingbourne. For more details, please Google ‘Swale Kent Karrier’ or call 01892 832447. I would urge any parents unable to get their children to school to contact me for information about submitting an appeal for transport assistance. I will continue to monitor this situation in the hope that a new service can be created to serve the villages that are now without regular public transport.

In December, Network Rail applied for the emergency closure of a well used foot crossing at the western end of Teynham Station. This crossing is part of a very popular walking route and was used by hundreds of residents. Network Rail have since applied to divert the public right of way and a consultation on this will be opening shortly. I will ensure local residents are aware of the survey when it opens to enable all those that use the path to share their views on the proposals.

Upcoming roadworks on Boughton Hill scheduled to take place from February to May will cause a huge amount of disruption for residents in Boughton and Dunkirk, especially those that rely on the bus service through the villages. Unfortunately the works are required to protect against the dangerous levels of subsidence in the area. Once the works are complete, the road should be safe from subsidence for the rest of the century. As above, I will do my best to ensure residents are kept updated on the roadworks and the replacement bus services that are put in place.

And onto the good news. The Green Doctors sessions held in early December were very successful. Despite the cold snap, dozens of residents came to visit the events and left with some great energy saving freebies like hot water bottles and draught excluders.

In Teynham, a couple of long awaited improvements finally came to fruition in December. One of the footpaths just north of the level crossing was given a makeover, and some trees were planted on the verge alongside Station Road.

Another project I’ve been supporting since my election was a speed limit reduction in Sheldwich. The main part of Lees Court Road through the village and beside the green will soon be reduced from a 60mph limit down to a far more appropriate 30mph. Further speed limit reductions in Selling, Dunkirk and along the A2 between Bapchild and Teynham are all progressing well too, so will hopefully be in place by the summer.

Rich Lehmann
rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk
https://kentgreencouncillors.news/

New Waste and Recycling Contract

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Swale Borough Council – working together with Ashford and Maidstone Councils, as the Mid Kent Waste Partnership – have awarded an eight-year waste and recycling contract to Suez Recycling and Recovery UK. The new contract begins in March 2024 and will bring improvements to the existing service and make use of the latest technology.

Fortnightly collections of waste and recycling will continue across the borough, with one wheeled bin for dry recycling, alongside the regular weekly food waste collections. The new contract aims to increase recycling rates and improve route efficiency.

Lower emission vehicles will be used along with better technology to keep residents up to date. The new vehicles are being funded directly by the councils to help save costs and will be more modern vehicles that use electric bin lifts, reducing the consumption of diesel dramatically and helping lower the services’ carbon footprint.

 Suez will also deliver the street cleansing service in Swale. The new contract includes improvements to the level of cleansing in rural and residential areas, as well as quicker response times for the removal of fly-tipping.

As part of the tender process, the council consulted residents about their views on the current service through a survey and via the Swale Area Committees. It was very clear that residents wanted to continue to use a single bin for mixed dry recycling, rather than have a separate bin for paper and cardboard (as used in Canterbury for example). There was a widespread view that street cleansing in rural areas was not adequate, and there was concern about the time it can take to clear fly-tipping. The tender for the new contract has reflected these priorities.

The current service will continue to be delivered by Biffa until the start of the new contract in March 2024. Staff working on the existing contract will be transferred to the new contractor.

Tim Valentine (TimValentine@swale.gov.uk) 07752 191807

Alastair Gould (AlastairGould@swale.gov.uk)

Swale Borough Councillors for Boughton & Courtenay.

Swale Borough Councillors’ Report November 2022

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The Local Plan

In the August magazine we reported that Swale Borough Council had adopted a new timetable for the local plan. At that time changes in national policy guidance were expected to be published in July. The aim was to publish a revised plan for public consultation (known as regulation 19 consultation) in November which would take account of the new policy guidance.

Since the summer there has been considerable politic upheaval in central government. Liz Truss said that housing targets for local authorities would be removed. Plans for investment zones were announced, which would remove virtually all planning restrictions. Kent County Council has proposed several investment zones in Kent, but fortunately none in Swale. There is considerable uncertainty as to what changes are still on the table.

With the policy guidance expected in July still not having been published and further uncertainty added by the changes in government, Swale Borough Council is in a very difficult situation. There is little point in spending considerable effort and expense producing a consultation document which may be out of date before it is published. Therefore, along with many other councils, Swale has decided to pause the local plan process. Work in gathering evidence to support the revised local plan will continue, so the council will be able to publish a robust plan once the required guidance has been received. There is no set timetable in place, but it is expected that a revised local plan will not be published for 12 – 18 months.

The existing (2017) local plan remains in place and all planning applications must be evaluated against the local plan policies. However, as an update is overdue, it does allow developers to argue that the plan is out of date. In addition, as a revised local plan has already been consulted on, it too has some weight in planning decisions. In effect the situation is similar to that which has applied since February 2019 when the previous administration could no longer demonstrate a 5-year land supply. Under these circumstances a ‘tilted balance’ in favour of sustainable development applies. However, development still must be in the right place. Inappropriate development can be refused. The council has been successful in defending refusal of inappropriate development at appeal.

Tim Valentine (TimValentine@swale.gov.uk) 07752 191807

Alastair Gould (AlastairGould@swale.gov.uk)

Swale Borough Councillors for Boughton & Courtenay.

KCC Councillor’s Report November 2022

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Rich Lehmann – Swale East

As we gradually head into Winter, I am feeling grateful for the delayed arrival of the colder weather. Temperatures in October were so mild that the government saved £260m on price cap payments to energy companies. Many families will be better off too as a result of this, and the continuing mild weather in the first half of November will have helped lower people’s bills too.

BUSES

Sadly the Conservative administration at KCC voted to push through the bus subsidy cuts at the most recent full council meeting. This means that many bus services across our area will stop next February.

In Swale East the affected services are Chalkwell services with the following route numbers 8, 9, 343, 344, 345, 662, 664 and 666 (the Stagecoach 666 from Faversham to Ashford will continue running).

I met with KCC transport officers this week to see if anything could be done to save the services, even on a reduced frequency, but unfortunately was not able to make much progress. I will next be contacting the bosses at Chalkwell buses to try and work out a financially viable route which could perhaps cover more of the villages than the previous routes did.

As things stand, from February onwards, the Kent Karrier will be the only bus option for the majority of adults in Bredgar, Rodmersham, Tunstall, Lynsted, Doddington, Newnham, Conyer and Oare. It only serves villages on 2-3 days of the week, costs £3.50 for a return journey and needs to be booked in advance. I will share more information on this service in future columns, but if you would like to know more, please search ‘Swale Kent Karrier’ on Google for information relating to this service

WINTER

As noted last month, I have arranged for an organisation called Green Doctors to visit some of the parishes across the area in early December. They will be holding five drop in sessions to give energy advice and money saving tips.

The sessions will take place at the following locations

Thursday 8th December

9.30am to midday – Newnham Village Hall

1.30pm to 3pm – Sheldwich Village Hall

3.30pm to 5pm – Oare Village Hall

Friday 9th December

9.30am to midday – Teynham Community Hall

2.30pm to 4pm – Boughton Village Hall

More information on Green Doctors can be found at https://www.groundwork.org.uk/greendoctor/

I will be attending all of these sessions too, so please feel free to come along if you have any other local issues you’d like to discuss.

Rich Lehmann

rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk

KCC Councillor’s Report October 2022

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Rich Lehmann Swale East

One of the biggest campaigns I’ve been focussing on this year has been trying to overturn KCC’s proposed cuts to bus subsidies. If they go ahead, these cuts will have a hugely damaging effect on mobility across large parts of Swale East, especially in Newnham, Doddington, Lynsted, Rodmersham, Bredgar and Tunstall, who all face being left without any regular bus service. After my successful call in to the KCC Scrutiny Committee, the issue will be debated for the final time at the full council meeting on the 20th October. Unfortunately at the time of ‘going to press’, that meeting is yet to take place, so I will provide a further update on the situation next month.

Another big issue facing many of us currently is the combined cost of living/winter fuel crisis. Over the past few weeks I have started talking to some of the local parish councils about responses to these crises. Some parishes are hoping to set up warm banks (or ‘warm hubs’) where people can go to stay warm during the day, and in some areas I have supported this with money from my members grant fund.

I feel it’s important to try and ensure that anyone visiting a warm hub or any other public space to stay warm is aware that they should not turn their thermostat down too far while they are out. The BBC reported this week that doing so would increase the chances of damp and mould developing in homes which are allowed to get too cold, which would in turn will lead to greater problems. My understanding is that keeping thermostats at a minimum of 16c is ideal. This will also ensure that you can more easily bring the temperature back up when returning home.

In addition to warm hubs, I have arranged for an organisation called Green Doctors to visit some of the parishes across the area in early December. They will be holding five drop in sessions to give advice and energy saving tips. They can also be booked for home visits to offer further, tailored support to residents on reducing energy bills and managing fuel debt.

The sessions will take place at the following locations (I will provide a reminder next month)

Thursday 8th December

9.30am to midday – Newnham Village Hall

1.30pm to 3pm – Sheldwich Village Hall

3.30pm to 5pm – Oare Village Hall

Friday 9th December

9.30am to midday – Teynham Community Hall

2.30pm to 4.00pm – Boughton Village Hall

More information on Green Doctor can be found at https://www.groundwork.org.uk/greendoctor/

I will also be available at all of these sessions, so please feel free to come along if you have any other local issues you’d like to talk to me about.

Rich Lehmann

rich.lehmann@kent.gov.uk